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Mike Rivington

Staff picture: Mike Rivington
mike.rivington@hutton.ac.uk

The James Hutton Institute
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen AB15 8QH
Scotland UK

Mike originally trained and worked as a design engineer before a six year 'career break' in outdoor education and recreation management. He then studied at Edinburgh University gaining a BSc in Ecological Science in 1995 and an MSc in Resource Management in 1999 and following a part-time study gained his PhD in 2010. Mike joined the Institute in 1999, working on the Land Allocation Decision Support System (LADSS) project.

Current research interests 

These cover the interdisciplinary areas of climate change (uncertainty evaluation, impacts, adaptation and mitigation), ecosystem based adaptation and sustainable land use and food security. This is in the context of policy development support.

  • Experience of land use systems modelling (both in the UK and internationally).
  • Evaluation of the quality and suitability of climate model projections.
  • Climate change impacts studies related to land use and ecosystems services.
  • Developed a downscaling method allowing Regional Climate Models data to be bias corrected to become site-specific.
  • Produced agro-meteorological indicators for climate change impacts and adaptation studies.
  • Currently evaluating the uncertainty in the UKCP09 probabilistic climate projections.

He has a further interest in resilience and adaptation, risk evaluation, social learning, stakeholder engagement and participatory deliberation.

Mike has developed strong links with UNEP, contributing to the development of their Flagship Ecosystems Based Adaptation Project, and Ecosystem Management Policy Brief series. He was author / editor of a White Paper for UNEP on 'Climate information needs for decision making in natural resource management, biodiversity and ecosystem services' presented at the World Climate Conference - 3, Geneva, 2009, and an invited participant on the expert panel. He has also written a scoping paper, research and policy briefs for UNEP on the role of ecosystem management in climate change mitigation and adaptation, for the UNFCCC negotiation meetings for 15th Conference of the Parties meeting in Copenhagen.

Bibliography 

Mike's highlighted publications

  • Munang, R.; Rivington, M.; Takle, E.S.; Mackey, B.; Thiaw, I.; Liu, J., (2010) Climate information and capacity needs for ecosystem management under a changing climate., Procedia Environmental Sciences, 1, 206-227.
  • Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Lui, J.; Thiaw, I.; Kasten, T., (2010) Integrated solutions for biodiversity, climate change and poverty., UNEP Policy Series, Ecosystem Management Policy Brief, No.1.
  • Rivington, M.; Mumba, M.; Munang, R., (2010) Ecosystem management: the need to adopt a different approach under a changing climate., World Resources Report 2010, World Resource Institute, 7pp.
  • Munang, R,M.; Rivington, M., (2009) Ecosystem management: A key to enhancing food security under a changing climate., Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) Global Summit: Food Security in a Climate of Change, London, 19-21 October 2009. Invited Keynote Presentation.
  • Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Aspinall, R.J.; Liu, J., (2009) Cost effective solutions for climate change mitigation, adaptation and long-term sustainability: the ecosystems approach., UN General Assembly, New York, 22nd September 2009; United Nations Environmental Programme Brief, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA); 15th Conference of the Parties Meeting, Copenhagen.

Mike's most recent publications

  • Bellocchi, G.; Rivington, M.; Donatelli, M.; Matthews, K.B., (In press) Validation of biophysical models: issues and methodologies: a review., In: Sustainable Farming Systems, Springer Science.
  • Rivington, M.; Koo, J., (2011) Report on the meta-analysis of crop modelling for climate change and food security survey, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research / Earth Systems Science Partnership sponsored Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Challenge Program.
  • Tingem Munang, R.; Thiaw, I.; Rivington, M., (2011) Ecosystem management: Tomorrow's approach to enhancing food security under a changing climate., Sustainability, 3, 937-954.
  • Alexandrov, G.A.; Ames, D.; Aumann, C.; Bellocchi, G.; Bruen, M.; Crout, N.; Erechtchoukova, M.; Hildebrandt, A.; Hoffman, F.; Jackisch, C.; Khaiter, P.; Mannina, G.; Matsunaga, T.; Purucker, S.T.; Rivington, M.; Samaniego L.; Sherman, B., (2010) Technical assessment and evaluation of environmental models and software: Letter to the Editor., Environmental Modelling and Software, 26, 328-336.
  • Belocchi, G.; Rivington, M.; Donatelli, M.; Matthews, K.B., (2010) Validation of biophysical models: issues and methodologies. A review., Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 30, 109-130.
  • Buchan, K.; Rivington, M.; Miller, D.G.; Matthews, K.B., (2010) Agro-meteorologocal indicators of climate change - Tarland case study - Technical Report., Aquarius Workshop: Farmer and Factor, Commercial Hotel, Tarland, Aberdeenshire, 11 March 2010.
  • Lavery, A.; Easton, E.; Goulson, D.; Hester, A.J.; Higgins, P.; Marrs, R.; Rivington, M.; Thompson, D., (2010) Ecology in the Scottish school curriculum., A report to Scottish Qualification Authority.
  • Matthews, K.B.; Blackstock, K.L.; Buchan, K.; Miller, D.; Rivington, M.; Gilbert, A.; Ibiyemi, A., (2010) D16: Scottish case study report., Report for FP7, SSH, Collaborative Project SMILE, 62pp.
  • Matthews, K.B.; Blackstock, K.L.; Buchan, K.; Miller, D.G.; Rivington, M., (2010) D23: Utility of Tools to Stakeholders., Report for FP7 SSH, Collaborative Project SMILE, 83pp.
  • Matthews, K.B.; Blackstock, K.L.; Buchan, K.; Miller, D.G.; Rivington, M., (2010) Workshop to discuss SMILE analysis of CNP., FP7 SSH, Collaborative Project SMILE, Workshop with CNPA, Grantown-on-Spey, 6th December 2010.
  • Matthews, K.B.; Rivington, M.; Blackstock, K.L.; McCrum, G.; Buchan, K.; Miller, D.G., (2010) Raising the bar? The challenge of evaluating the outcomes of environmental modelling and software., Environmental Modelling and Software, 26, 247-257.
  • Buchan, K.; Rivington, M.; Miller, D.G.; Matthews, K.B., (2009) Agro-meteorological indicators of climate change - Tarland case study - Technical Report., Aquarius Workshop: Advisers and Authorities, Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, 27 October 2009.
  • Matthews, K.B.; Buchan, K.; Rivington, M.; Miller, D.G.; Schwarz, G., (2009) Bridging the outcome gap - can we learn anything from failing to influence policy and practice?, Proceedings of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand (Modsim09), 18th World IMACS / MODSIM Congress, Cairns, Australia 13-17 July 2009.
  • McCrum, G. S.; Blackstock, K. L.; Matthews, K.B.; Rivington, M.; Miller, D.G.; Buchan, K., (2009) Adapting to climate change in land management: the role of deliberative workshops in enhancing social learning., Environmental Policy and Governance. Special Issue "Living with Environmental Change: Adaptation as Social Learning" (eds. Kevin Collins and Ray Ison). 19, 423-426.
  • Munang, R.M.; Rivington, M.; Liu, J.; Thiaw, I., (2009) United Nations Environmental Programme Research Brief. Ecosystem-based adaptation: the natural climate change solution., United Nations Environmental Programme, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 15th Conference of the Parties, Copenhagen 7-18 December 2009.
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The James Hutton Research Institute is the result of the merger in April 2011 of MLURI and SCRI. This merger formed a new powerhouse for research into food, land use, and climate change.